Author: Vagabond

The topic of the hour is, of
course, the coronavirus. We are still in isolation, but some of us are slowly
getting back to our activities. This
deconfinement must be done gradually to avoid a second wave of contagion.

Meanwhile, while this is
happening, you should really think of ways to reinvent yourself depending on
the activity sector of your company. You should ask yourself how you can, as
the expression says it so well, “turn on a dime’’ in order to adapt to this
new reality. I am aware that this is extremely difficult. There are some of us
who have lost a job permanently and others, temporarily. We have the help of
the government which alleviates some of the stress, but the damage is done and
we can all feel it.

So the message I would like
to share with you is try not to tell yourself every day that it’s difficult,
but rather try and find ways to adapt to the situation. For example, my job is
that of a speaker. I have at least
fifteen conferences which have been postponed and for the moment I have no
source of income. Seeing that the trend
right now is online communication, I signed up for a university online
marketing course. Virtual communication
will only increase and I want to learn and improve myself in this area. I learn how webinars work, and I will use
that medium to offer my conferences on different themes to my clients. This is an example of how I am adapting to
the current situation.

In addition to my
conferences, I am also a sports coach level 3 certified from the Coaching Association
of Canada, NCCP and I’m thinking of offering my services to companies. There are many things that I can do virtually
such as exercises with clients; keep moving in business. When I was an athlete training
with the same technique for ten years, I suddenly had to adapt to another
racing technique. Time evolves and so do
the techniques, so I had to adapt and trust the process which allowed me to get
to another level.

We must expand our horizons and be ready to welcome change. So no matter what field you are in, get your brain working; learn, read more, work on yourselves, do not stay at home and nurture negative thoughts because this increases the risk of depression and psychological distress. I don’t really like to talk about that subject but it’s a reality. You have to tell yourself that we’re all going to make it and that we’re all going to succeed.

We are proud to support Taïna through a mentoring and coaching process and to count her as an ambassador for our sportswear line.
Taïna is an entrepreneur specializing in the distribution of coffee for the corporate market. His growing business recently celebrated his fifth birthday.
I invite you to visit his website https://dinapoli.ca

I am very proud to announce that the 17th edition of the Bruny Surin Foundation Gala will be held at the Westin in Montreal on September 19, 2019.

The funds raised each year during this event help promote a healthy and active lifestyle among young people in order to fight against dropping out of school.
Buy your tickets now for this festive and entertaining networking night. It’s a date!

Bruny will be the special guest of a dental training oragnisée by Cameleo dpc. This training will take place in Artimino Tuscany.

Bruny will give a conference on commitment and surpassing oneself to general dentists and Quebec specialists who are invited for this 7-day training.

The purpose of this conference is to give participants the tools to: realize the importance of preparation in achieving the greatest challenges; Persevere to achieve one's goals; Communicate with your team; To go beyond, to commit, for his patients or his personal goals; Overcoming obstacles and facing adversity.

The past few weeks have provided me with one of the most rewarding and motivating experiences of my career. I had the privilege of being selected by the Canadian Olympic Committee to act as Chef de Mission for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

I would like to thank the COC and the selection committee for this treasured opportunity.

When I ended my athletic career, I set myself the goal of remaining active in sports and the Olympic movement and of continuing to encourage new generations of athletes in all sports. Thanks to the COC’s decision, I was able to achieve this dream.

Over the past few days, the members of the Canadian team and I have shared a wide range of emotions. I had the opportunity to provide encouragement to our young athletes in moments of both joy and sadness. I cheered them through exceptional performances and stood with them in moments of disappointment.

I hope the athletes come away from these Games with wonderful memories as well as valuable life lessons. I tried to impress upon them the importance of practicing their sport with integrity and of always respecting their opponent.

Regardless of their results, this event was an exceptional springboard for these young people. Before the closing ceremonies, I told them the following:

“If your performance was outstanding, have the strength to find out how you can improve further. Following a victory, your finish line should always become your starting line. For those of you whose results were not what you had hoped for, it’s time to roll up your sleeves. Ask yourself what went wrong in your performance and how you can improve it. I hope your disappointment becomes a source of motivation for you.”

As for me, I’m leaving Argentina filled with pride and hope. Canada has a promising future in sport! I hope to be able to accompany the Canadian team again soon!

Since entering the field of business, I have noticed that many new entrepreneurs tend to place a disproportionate emphasis on their brand image and the creation of their logo.

While these are indeed critical to the success of a business, they should never take more energy and resources than the quality of the product, the message, and the customer relationship.

I am personally very severe with this last aspect. When I go to a restaurant and an employee has a bad attitude, my experience is completely transformed, in addition to giving me a bad image of the company, and this, regardless of the pace of the place.

This crucial subject reminds me in particular of my first experience with RedBull. I was still competing at the time, and representatives of the brand, young men and women, came to the stadium to make us taste the products. I clearly remember that they had a lot of interpersonal skills and they constantly smiled.

Initially, seeing the name of the brand that means “red bull” in French, all athletes looked at each other with a skeptical look. It must be said that we were very careful with the new products, given all the ingredients that we were not allowed to consume.

Yet their representatives have been convincing; a marketing technique still used extensively by the company. Today, we see that the latter is worth its weight in gold. In addition to being a guarantee of quality, RedBull ranks number one among all energy drink manufacturers.

Therefore, the priority of entrepreneurs, well before the look of their organization, should always be to provide a good service and spread a message that allows them to target the right clientele. If you lack the means to reach your advertising objectives, it is essential to find you allies.

I am often asked by many participants who attend my conferences how I managed tasks that I don’t like but are essential to my success.

In the business world, particularly when you first venture out, you must constantly take on responsibilities that are not part of your field of expertise, that make you uncomfortable or that you clearly hate.

As far as I’m concerned and in all honesty, there are two obligations that come with being an entrepreneur that I hate: talking on the phone (I sometimes spend hours!) and meetings. After being closed-in for 45 minutes in the same room, I get restless. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team (NBA) and a shark on the TV show The Shark Tank, says he also hates meetings which is expressed in his famous phrase, “Unless you have a check for me I don’t do meetings.” Of course, he’s a billionaire and I’m not lol.

I am well aware that the hours which seem to be a waste of time are essential to reaching my goals, to developing opportunities and partnerships for my conferences, to my foundation, to the Surin Collection as well as my real estate investments.

I had the same dilemma when I was an athlete. I remember that I didn’t like to do speed endurance training. We would run on distances of 250 to 350 metres repeatedly with minimal time for recuperation. My legs hurt, I had cramps and my heart would beat very rapidly.

However, this extremely difficult training was necessary. If I didn’t comply, my competitors would and they would surely take the lead during competitions.

Despite the need for these unpleasant tasks, some people will tell you that you are the boss and you can always delegate. But it’s impossible to always delegate. Sooner or later, you will have to get in the right frame of mind to perform these tasks.

For my part, I concentrate on the final outcome and consider these tasks as small sacrifices necessary to my success. And you? What are your tips on getting through your most difficult tasks?

At the age of 17, I had set one of the biggest and most difficult goals of my life, to run faster than my idol Carl Lewis.

Many people just laughed in my face. Nearly 99% of them took me by the shoulders and told me to be “realistic”.

At that time, I wondered what being “realistic” meant. What does it mean to be a realist? How do we determine if a goal is realistic or not? Faced with unclear boundaries, I ignored their advice.

Fifteen years later in 1999, I achieved a time of 9.84 seconds in the 100 meters; two hundreds of a second faster than Lewis. My performance would be the second fastest of all time.

In 2003, following the evolution of Usain Bolt’s career, I predicted that this great athlete would succeed in achieving the 9.60 second mark within five years. Again, they told me I was crazy. Five years later, we heard the same thing from Bolt, that he would reach this goal. He was also told to be more realistic. At present date, the world record stands at 9.58 seconds.

I have experienced this lack of faith dozens of times in my career; from winning the gold medal in the relay in 1996, to my decision of going into business. This is why when I meet young people today, I make it my duty to tell them that they have all the potential to go after their dreams. I also encourage businessmen I network with to remove such words as “realist”, “achievable”, and “durable” from their vocabulary.

I like giving them the example of Nike, the biggest sports equipment supplier in the world with whom I collaborated in the creation of my own competition shoe. The founders of this huge firm started like everyone else, at the bottom of the ladder, selling imported products from Asia while travelling across the United States by car. Little by little, they started promoting their products during track and field competitions and sponsored athletes. Their road to success was extraordinary, but not unachievable.

I like giving them the example of Nike, the biggest sports equipment supplier in the world with whom I collaborated in the creation of my own competition shoe. The founders of this huge firm started like everyone else, at the bottom of the ladder, selling imported products from Asia while travelling across the United States by car. Little by little, they started promoting their products during track and field competitions and sponsored athletes. Their road to success was extraordinary, but not unachievable.

I am constantly inspired by reading and listening to documentaries about people who have succeeded beyond all expectations. I like to follow and understand their path, and draw parallels with mine to see how I can improve myself as an entrepreneur, business coach and speaker.

Recently, I had the opportunity to watch a film and a documentary about two courageous and innovative musicians who impressed me a lot and offered me new perspectives on my career and my journey.

The documentary called Chasing Trane, available on Netflix, focuses on the career of the famous saxophone player John Coltrane. Born in misery, at a time when African Americans were oppressed and did not have the same rights as whites in the United States, the musician realized the impossible.

Determined to succeed, he diligently practiced visualization, seeing himself pushing the limits and achieving his goals. As a true athlete would do, he set up the his own training camp. He retreated in his little studio for almost two weeks, taking breaks only to eat. This practice yielded incredible results. Today, John Coltrane is nothing short of a legend.

In the feature film Bohemian Rhapsody, we follow the famous group Queen in a retreat outside their hometown. The musicians hope to avoid distractions and create historical music. Mission accomplished! It was during this retreat that Freddie Mercury composed some of the most incredible songs in his repertoire.

It is through such examples that I recommend to the athletes and entrepreneurs I meet to commit to an annual training camp. This habit allows them to step out of their comfort zone and free their minds to focus solely on training and personal improvement.

Whatever your purpose and field, leave out negative thoughts. Forget your lack of resources or lack of time. Do like John Coltrane and Freddie Mercury. Work, put the necessary effort, choose a positive and rigorous mindset and you will succeed. When there’s a will there’s a way!

“ Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy. ”
– Wayne Gretzky

To succeed in business, or in any field, I am convinced that it is necessary to always seek to improve and acquire new knowledge. That’s why, as part of my conferences, I encourage people not to hesitate to attend conventions, train or mentor.

To succeed in business, or in any field, I am convinced that it is necessary to always seek to improve and acquire new knowledge. That’s why, as part of my conferences, I encourage people not to hesitate to attend conventions, train or mentor. The goal is not only to become more efficient and better equipped, but also to follow the evolution and changes that affect your respective environment. However, acquiring new knowledge is not enough; you also have to be able to apply them.

Indeed, a client recently told me that after attending a conference, he felt his motivation increase for a few days at work before it returned to normal. He hoped to find a way to conserve that energy longer.

So I asked him what he was doing with the new apprenticeships he had faced during his training. His answer: nothing special. This behavior is not unique. Nearly 98% of people who think of taking action never put it in motion.

So here’s my tip: every time you learn something, make sure you find out how it can be adapted to your particular area and put it into practice quickly. This is the only way to progress.

My thinking is: what can you do today to be better tomorrow? Be constantly on the lookout for an aspect of your personality or work method on which to stake. Do not wait until tomorrow. Act now, apply your knowledge from the acquisition.

So you will always want to learn and gradually you will become a true expert.